Londonderry Arms Hotel, 20-24 Harbour Road, Carnlough, Ballymena, Co Antrim, BT44 0EU

Londonderry Arms Hotel, Carnlough

A mid-19th century hotel of classical proportions and considerable local historical interest, standing as part of an important terrace group in the main street of the village.

The main block is two storeys and three bays, built in 1848 by Lady Londonderry. A five-bay annex to the north, of plainer design, was added after 1857 and first appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1903. The building faces east onto the main street.

The entrance elevation of the main block is symmetrical, consisting of a recessed central entrance bay flanked by gabled outer bays. The roofs are covered in Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with tall chimney pots visible from stacks at the rear. The walls are smooth cement rendered with channelled rustication to the ground floor below a platband and projecting plinth. Rusticated quoins mark the extremities of the end bays, which are surmounted by broken pediments.

To the first floor of the outer bays are rectangular timber sliding sash windows, 6 over 6 with horns, each set in a moulded surround and surmounted by a triangular pediment on consoles. The cill is formed by the moulded cornice of a three-panelled apron linked to the corniced frieze of the ground floor window below. Ground floor windows to the outer bays are tripartite, comprising a central light 6 over 6 with horns flanked by narrow sidelights, 2 over 2 with horns. Both windows contain some panes of Crown glass with plain mullions and projecting cills. The first floor of the entrance bay has a pair of coupled timber sashes, 4 over 4 with horns. Much of the façade is covered with creeper.

The main entrance is recessed in a three-centre arch and comprises a pair of rectangular timber glazed and panelled doors with narrow two-pane sidelights in a pilastered surround surmounted by a moulded frieze with decorative glazing bars to the fanlight. In front of the entrance, painted stone Tuscan columns rise to support a plain open porch with timber tongued and grooved sheeting to the underside of the roof.

The annex to the north is two storeys and five windows wide with a central entrance. The roof is slated as the main block with two chimneys at the extremities; the one to the right is common with an adjoining property. The walls are smooth cement rendered, painted white, with a black-painted plinth-like band along the base and a plain projecting eaves course with timber eaves board, cast iron gutter and downpipes. Windows are rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 8 over 8 with horns to the ground floor and 6 over 6 with horns to the first floor, all with exposed frames set in plain reveals with projecting stone or concrete cills. Some panes to ground floor windows are glazed with Crown glass. Modern scrolling wrought iron grilles are fixed to the ground floor cills. The entrance is a rectangular timber 4-panelled door surmounted by a plain rectangular fanlight set in a moulded timber frame, recessed between plain rendered pilasters with moulded bases and ornamental plasterwork brackets carrying a moulded cornice. Much of the upper part of the façade is covered with creeper.

The south elevation shows the side wall of the gabled end bay, which is one window wide, with roof and chimneys as described above. One original octagonal stoneware pot and one tall circular pot of ornamental design are visible. The wall is smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, with moulded plinth and moulded cornice returning from the base of the entrance front gable pediment. Windows are rectangular timber sliding sash, 6 over 6 without horns, in recessed frames set in plain reveals with projecting stone cills. A PVC downpipe is present.

Returning forward to the left is a short east wall of a gabled rear block, with smooth cement rendered return wall, lined and blocked, rusticated quoins to the left-hand extremity, moulded plinth and moulded cornice. PVC downpipe and soil pipe, painted, are visible. The gabled block extends to the left to a lower wing. The roofs are slated as the main block, with oversailing eaves featuring timber barge boards and tongued and grooved sheeted soffits to the gabled portion. The wing has a flat roof with asphalt covering on a timber fascia. Walls are rendered with dry dash of mixed black and white pebbles and other chippings, with smooth cement rendered base, moulded to part of the gabled portion. The gabled portion also has smooth cement rendered platband and rusticated quoins to the right-hand extremity and to the left-hand side, now isolated within the mass of walling. Windows are mainly rectangular timber sliding sash 6 over 6 with horns, in recessed frames. Those to the gabled portion have smooth cement rendered square moulded surrounds; those to the wing are in plain reveals. Ground floor windows have modern scrolling wrought iron grilles attached to cills. The first floor of the wing has a tripartite window as described for the entrance front, but with plain glazing and set in plain reveals. The ground floor has two rectangular timber doorways: ledged double doors to the right and a panelled door to the left where the wing steps down. Above the wing, set back, is a later attic storey, flat-roofed with asphalt over a timber fascia, with smooth cement rendered walls. Two windows, rectangular timber sliding sash, 10 over 10 with horns, are set in plain reveals.

The rear elevation is obscured by later extensions with rendered walling, smooth to the attic and dry dashed to the lower storeys.

The building stands in the main street of the village at one end of a terrace, facing onto the street. Two small balustraded front enclosures flank each side of the main entrance porch and extend along part of the south elevation. Stone balustrading, a later replacement for the original plain iron railings, comprises shaped balusters on a low painted stone plinth carrying a broad painted stone coping. The extreme rear backs onto a gabled corner building on High Street, a separate property with rendered walls and slated roofs.

The hotel was inherited by Sir Winston Churchill in 1921 through the Marchioness of Londonderry, and was taken over by the O'Neill family in 1947.